The Grinch who told the truth about Christmas adverts

Charlie Brooker's rant about this year's Christmas adverts in yesterday's Guardian has become quite the talk around town! He's titled his article: "This year's Christmas adverts aren't adverts, they're 'events'. Ghastly events", and added a tagline that pokes fun at all the sappy cry-babies in Britain: "The John Lewis commercial doesn't make me cry. It's just an advert for a shop". You know, after all the emotional hype about this John Lewis advert that literally had grown men admitting to tearing up in front their teles, I expected more of a backlash against Brooker's witty cynicism. But No! People love it! Only days after tweeting away about how that advert "changed their lives", Britain has changed tune to laugh along with Charlie at the ridiculous spectacle of it all. I don't mean to call the country a bunch of hypocrites, not at all. Rather, I think it's the perfect example of how ready Brits are to laugh at themselves. It's a great quality and one that is characteristic of this country.

But Brooker doesn't restrict judgement to just John Lewis. Oh no, everyone get's a hit! Littlewoods, for openly advertising the "truth" about Santa Claus; Morrisons, for the inappropriate sexualisation of British food (not to mention cricketers); and Marks and Spencers, for cheap exploitation of momentary celebrity. He's harsh but he is hilarious!

Morrisons has got to be my favourite! I'm very curious to know whose idea it was to start this Christmas advert with a reference to a [very bad] Kevin Costner film from the 80s?? "If you build it, they will come!" Now, I know there is often a cultural confusion of the two sports, but the people at Morrisons do know that baseball and cricket are not the same... right? In fact, I'm kind of insulted by the comparison. And if you were in doubt about Brooker's interpretation of this ad as overtly sexual, take a closer look at the busty butcher making eyes at Freddie over the "British Beef". Yup, there's no two ways about that; food = sex. Can't say I completely disagree, but it's an unconventional and amusing representation of the Christmas Spirit.

The icing on the cake in this article is Brooker's shock and awe over who managed to produce the most appropriate advert this Christmas: Iceland! Well there's an ending no one was expecting! Well done Charlie, witty and refreshing as ever. 

Being a West Indian

Yesterday I traveled all the way home to my lovely little island in the Caribbean. It is a long journey but one that is totally worth it! I love my island and I love the feeling of coming home.

On the plane on of the films they showed was Fire in Babylon. I've been meaning to see it since I first saw the trailer a few months ago. But it did a really stingy tour of UK cinemas and I hadn't had the opportunity. So obviously I was really excited that they were playing it on the flight. I've got to say, it definitely lived up to all the expectation. It is a fantastic film! If you have any interest at all in the West Indies, cricket, sport, racial tension, regional identity, or team dynamics, you should definitely give it a go. Watching this film made me so proud to be a West Indian. It reminded my what the spirit of our region is about. It is about working hard, defying prejudice, exceeding expectations. It is about forging a culture out of a complex history but not conforming to colonial pressures. We may be small islands but we are not insignificant and we will not be ignored. I'm not going to give a summary of the film because you can find a better one here and here. And you should just watch it yourself anyway. One of my favourite quotes was this (and I'm paraphrasing a bit because I can't remember exact wording): Babylon is not a place. It is a condition. It is a state of being in which unjust actions are cast upon a people who do not deserve it.

from here